Grasslanders
Grasslanders are a race of Animisms common the Plainterra region of Norweist in the world of Circunima. Overview The grasslanders are a race that owes their creation to Demeter, Goddess of the Earth. Traveling in clans across the grassy frontiers of the world, the grasslanders make their living by hunting and gathering. Insular by nature, most grasslanders live out their entire lives with the clan, but a rare few strike out on their own, becoming legendary heroes. Physiology The average grasslander male is 6'0" with a stocky build. Females are noticeably smaller and slighter, averaging 5'0". Grasslanders have lime green skin with dark, leafy hair and their eyes range from brown to green in various shades. Otherwise, they very closely resemble humans. While grasslanders, or Daojin as they call themselves, may closely resemble human beings, they are in fact plants, not animals. Their tissues and organs are made up of supple reeds and fibers, and their blood is chlorophyll. Indeed, a grasslander need only consume water and soil for nutrients, and their physical health is directly proportional to the amount of light they are exposed to. In natural sunlight, a grasslander can even heal at a rate much faster than human beings. In keeping with their apparent mimic of mamallian life, grasslanders break from the typically asexual nature of plants, having both males and females among their species. The grasslander mating ritual closely resembles that of a human couple, but a female grasslander will only give birth in the flowering season, which can result in longer pregnancies although grasslander custom dictates that mating be performed in this season. At the time of flowering, a grasslander will give birth to a seed pod that may contain up to sixteen young. With careful nurturing, the seeds mature into infant grasslanders in the space of a month. Psychology Because of the active and nurturing nature of their creator deity, it is a very rare grasslander that is not religiously devoted to Demeter, and even the most impious daojin cannot help but feel an emotional link between himself and the earth that spawned him. Some conservative grasslanders even go so far as to have a preference for the earth they were spawned in. This last trait has lead to a territorial war between the various grasslander tribes (see below) that has lasted longer than even the eldest shaman can remember. While grasslanders hold their land sacred, the war is purely defensive, and a grasslander of a rival tribe who is respectful of the sovereign right of a tribe to their land may pass through it freely. Between their innate preference for home soil and their even more deeply-rooted connection with the earth itself, a grasslander is typically shy to stray too far from the land that birthed them, feeling increasingly isolated and paranoid the farther away they stray. As a final manifestation of their connection with the earth, grasslanders appear to universally prefer defense over offense when faced with a fight or flight scenario. While this results in what might be seen as cowardice by other races in the typical daojin, even a seasoned grasslander warrior will explain that they do this for self-preservation, no different from a tree playing dead in the winter. In similar fashion, these same warriors have shown a marked tendency to stalemate opponents rather than destroying them, preferring to endure and outlast. Cultural Structure Homelands Grasslanders are native to the Plainterra of Norweist, where the following five tribes are divided by territories (see the Plainterra map in Norweist); Dunebacks: The closest tribe to the Ra-Tae-Zu desert, the Dunebacks are also arguably the most ruthless, even going so far as to steal what they need from rival grasslanders passing through their land. This trait has caused them to be looked down upon by the other tribes as a more primitive cousin, but the Dunebacks assert that they are simply closer to nature. Longbeaches: The Longbeach tribe settles on the western coast. Possibly the most easy-going of the tribes, they feel a connection both with Demeter and the sea god Poseidon. The Longbeaches are known for being skilled at riding horses and waves, and surfing competitions between them are sometimes used to settle land disputes or even as a rite of passage. Plainwalkers: The original tribe from which the other four splintered, the Plainwalkers have come to represent the status quo of grasslander culture, sometimes being referred to by religious scholars as Orthodox Daojin. Because of the sheer size of the Plainwalker tribe in comparison to the others, the chief of the Plainwalkers carries slightly more weight in council decisions than his fellows, and has the final say on any matter representing the race as a whole. For this reason, many Plainwalkers can expect to be treated with more respect than they might otherwise be due in rival lands. Treefriends: The Treefriend tribe is forever caught in a struggle between their native grasslander culture and the influence of the sylvan lands that overlap their own. The Treefriends are so named because they maintain the balance between the Sylvanna and the Plainterra, often acting as liasons between the two. Treefriend grasslanders have a higher percentage of shamen than warriors, which is an anomaly compared to the other tribes. Wetreeds: The Wetreed tribe, having long ago retreated into the swamp, is the most defensive and insular of the tribes, and with good reason; theirs is a dangerous land filled with deadly creatures, and the Wetreed grasslander that strays far from home for long periods of time is very rare and often not heard from again. For this reason, they are a supersitious people, their local legends being rich in tales of the supernatural. Government Grasslanders base their government on a tribal model, placing the land first, followed immediately by the family unit. A daojin warrior will gladly die in defense of his land and family, and those who mistreat the land in the presence of an otherwise peaceful grasslander may find themselves strongly reprimanded for their misjudgment. In a grasslander family, the eldest member, be it a man or a woman, is considered the Chief Elder, and their decisions regarding the safety and prosperity of their family are to be respected; indeed, it brings great dishonor and, according to the people's spiritual beliefs, misfortune to go against the advice of an elder. This is doubly so in the event that the elder is a shaman, and triply so if the advice was seen in a vision. To refuse the direct advice of a shaman elder as seen in a vision is considered such a bad omen that, if they so choose, the Chief Elder may legally banish the rogue relative from the family unit until they choose to revoke this decision, but at least for a season. The grasslanders are ruled by a council of five chieftains representing the five territories, which meet twice a year on the respective solstices to discuss the needs of their people and the race as a whole. Although all five chieftains theoretically carry equal weight, the Plainwalker chief is the de facto leader, as his tribe is the oldest and closest to the earth, granting him the authority to a final say on all decisions. Chieftains are chosen by the eldest shaman of the current Chief's familial unit as seen in a vision on the winter solstice. The timing of the vision is extremely important, as it symbolizes the dying of one tree and the rise of another. Not every solstice sees the changing of a chieftain, and a rare few chiefs have held their position for decades at a time. At the time that a new Chieftain is chosen, they must journey to the Gaia Teku, which means "Goddess Tree" in Daoji, to recieve, first from the former Chieftain and then from Demeter herself, the collective wisdom of all Chieftains past. This ritual is known as Dao Ro, "Passing of the Earth". Spiritual Beliefs The Daojin creation myth, Gaia Bunyae or "The Goddess and the Soul", states that Demeter, Goddess of the Earth, became so enamored with the animals of other worlds that she decided to make a plant that could behave as the animals did, considering such a creation to be the ultimate example of beauty in nature; the "perfect animal". To this end, she gave birth to a very special seed pod and nurtured it for an entire moon, giving it the nutrients it would need to grow and be healthy, along with the knowledge it would need to speak and walk and hunt as the animals do. From this pod was born the first grasslanders, and as they grew, they learned that Gaia had given them the most beautiful gift of all; the power of creation and the knowledge of how to make more creatures like themselves. Since that time long ago, the daojin have multiplied into the great nation of today. Grasslander culture is rich in mythology, which will be expanded in time. The Typical Male The typical grasslander male is a strong, proud warrior. Depending on his tribe of origin, he may fight with a club (Dunebacks), trident (Longbeaches), spear (Plainwalkers), bow (Treefriends), or sword (Wetreeds). The typical male reaches maturity at 12 years of age, at which point he goes on his first hunt. If successful in killing the beast (he may have help tracking the creature, but must kill it himself), he becomes a warrior among his people. It is important to note that shamen are rare and must be chosen in a vision by the existing shaman of a family unit. The typical grasslander warrior is expected to defend his family and, in times of need, his entire tribe or even race against invasions and hostile beasts, with his life if neccessary. It is considered an honor to die in defense of loved ones, and such grasslanders are said to arrive in Demeter's garden to be reborn in bodies of solid oak as her invincible emissary. The Typical Female The typical grasslander female is the backbone of her family. Her husband may be a mighty warrior, but without her nurturing touch, he would die. Power is shared between the sexes, but a woman is held in a certain reverence because she has the power of creation, and a grasslander poetry often compares a woman desired to Gaia herself. The typical female reaches maturity at 13 years of age, just one year after her male counterparts, at which time she is considered ready to bear young. In addition to mothering duties, the women of a tribe gather needed plants and herbs from the fields. As such, many are practiced in medicine and female shamen outnumber the males. Category:Races